What Are the Odds?

The odds of getting a royal flush on your first five cards are 1 in 649,740.

The odds of winning the jackpot MegaMillions lottery are about 1 in 175,000,000.

The odds of you being born in your particular time, place, and circumstances are about 1 in 400,000,000,000.

You are a miracle. The probability of any of us being born exactly as we are is so remote, that your very presence on this earth should be a constant source of amazement. The odds of you being who you are, where you are, are so remote; your existence cannot be an accident.

You have been given a unique set of talents and interests. You have experienced a unique sequence of events that have molded you into the person you are today. There never has been, and never will be, anyone like you. You have something to offer the world.

Here’s a question for you: What do you have to offer?

Here’s another one: What have you chosen to do with it?

You are here for a purpose. The unique entity that is YOU is here for a reason. No one else can do what you do, the way you do it. Whatever it is that you bring to the table, it should not be wasted. There are people around you – right now – who need what you have to offer.

There are only a few weeks left in 2014. Pretty soon, we’ll be turning the calendar and celebrating the start of a new year. It’s a time of reflection and a time of planning. As you wind down the last few days of the year, spend a little time thinking about your unique value proposition and how you have used it to help others this year. Then, take a few more minutes and map out a plan for 2015. Think about how you can make an impact.

Most people won’t do this. They’ll celebrate, and then keep on doing the same things (or not doing them). 2015 will look just like 2014; and the world will be a little less bright because they will have chosen to keep their unique gifts to themselves.

But what if just one decided to buck the trend? What if just one made the decision to take their special talents and use them – at every opportunity – to make the world around them a better place? And what if that decision made all the difference?